Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is one of the most important and significant traditions in places all around the world. Dia de Muertos is most popular in Mexico, and yet it is still celebrated in other countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, the Philippines, Haiti, and more. While Day of the Dead is celebrated in these countries by different names, in the United States many celebrate the Mexican version of Day of the Dead. 

Day of the Dead is celebrated annually on Nov. 1 and 2. Nov. 1 celebrates the children who have passed, called Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels), and Nov. 2 celebrates everyone else who has passed. Despite being connected to death, it is a bright and lively celebration to honor those who have passed away. At Arcadia High School, many of our Spanish classes focus on the celebration of this day by sharing food and decorations as a class to honor the holiday. 

 “We had an activity where we filled out questions about the altars, like the skeleton designs on foods and sweets and the flowers,” said junior Jasmine Su, a student in Spanish 3. “We also learned about the significance of November 1st and 2nd and then watched a video that showed the holiday in other parts of the world.”

“We did a fun bingo (lotería) for Spanish 2 on the Day of the Dead,” said junior Nicolas Lo.

On this day, many people make and decorate something called an ofrenda, which directly translates to “offering” but is commonly known as an altar. Altars are made by the family members or friends of the deceased. Altars contain pictures of the people we are remembering as well as food offerings, drinks, and bright decorations like sugar skulls and marigolds. Marigolds, also known as Flor de Muertos, are often put on the altar because it is said that the flowers’ bright color and scent attract the souls of the dead to the altar. At our school library, AP Spanish classes put up a wonderful collection of pictures to remember loved ones, complete with decorations. It is important to our community as we collectively honor and mourn the loss of loved ones. 

AP Spanish student, senior Camila Reyes said that “We were assigned with the task of making the supplies for the altar. The altar was filled with all kinds of things, such as candles, fake food, cempasuchil flowers, papel picado, sugar skulls, and more. We also had pictures on the altar that were dedicated to people who had passed away, like someone famous or a family member of the person who signed up to bring that item along with information about that person.” 

Junior Jerrick Deng, who is currently a student in Mrs. Rodriguez’s Spanish 2, said “As a class, we went to the school library to go visit the altar. I didn’t know who the people were, but I could see that they were important to the people who put it up.” 

Reyes said, “I think that the Day of Dead is a beautiful time dedicated to those that you have lost. I personally think that it is a time of happiness and love. I have celebrated it every year for as long as I can remember. Sometimes we would throw a party, other times we would just stay at home and make our altar. Either way, big or small, we always made sure that this day was for the living to celebrate the dead.”

Cities around Arcadia also celebrated Day of the Dead, with Duarte and Monrovia both hosting festivals where they had music, food, community ofrendas, arts and crafts, and live performances. 

There are lots of events to participate in to celebrate the dead on Día De Muertos, so whether you want to commemorate those you have lost or just join in the activities, make sure to go!